The lesson of the fly and the invisible barrier
Mark Lang

The other day, I saw a fly in my house trying to get out through the window. The fly kept hitting against the glass over and over seemingly unable to find a way out. The glass had become an invisible barrier preventing freedom and imprisoning the fly. To assist, I opened the window to let the poor fly out.

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Surprisingly, the fly did not recognize the new opening as a path to freedom. It just continued its old ways of banging against the unseen obstruction. Finally, with some gentle nudging from me, it found the exit and ventured out into the world. Whew!

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How often do we find ourselves in a similar predicament? For some reason, we are not able to find our way out even though an alternative path may be right in front of us. This type of concrete thinking is an inability to think outside the box. We seem to lose the insight needed to come up with creative alternatives. So often, we have fixed concepts about how things should be or have always been.

It’s like we lock ourselves into only one perspective. And that perspective is usually our stubborn point of view. In our minds, our opinions become the truth as if they were facts. Then we conclude that since our opinions are true for us, they must be true for everyone. So, of course, if anyone disagrees with our truth, that person must be wrong. And we all know that people who are wrong deserve punishment, right? Watch out! This type of thinking is how fanaticism, intolerance, and bigotry start.

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Take religion for example. (Yea, that’s a safe topic to discuss, right?!) Your perception of the Creator was probably shaped, to a large degree, by fixed images and concepts which were handed down to you as a child by your parents and religious leaders. In other words, your concepts about God are most likely the result of religious programming and cognitive conditioning. You may think of yourself as a free spirit which functions independently, but face it, chances are you learned not to question the concept of God—lest you be deemed wrong and subject to punishment!

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So here you are now still walking around with preconceived ideas about the Giver of Life that limit your mind’s ability to see a broader spiritual perspective. Take a moment to do some personal reflection. What sort of limiting concepts do you have about the concept of God? Do you think of this deity as male? Why is that? Is that a reflection of your upbringing? Is your male concept of God based on ancient religious teachings and scriptures? If so, who wrote those scripture, men, women, or both? Doesn’t it make sense that the people who wrote (and rewrote) those scriptures had a gender bias in their favor?

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So how does all this affect how you think of men and women today? What role do you think men should play in our society? What about women? Are those roles different? Why is that? Where did you get those concepts? Are they limiting beliefs? Are those beliefs holding you back from progressing to a higher spiritual plane?

Just as the fly on the window needed some gentle nudging to escape the invisible barrier, you, too, may need to seek out an open-minded spiritual sage. This person may be able to give you a little nudge of encouragement to break free from those unseen (and often unspoken) conceptual barriers.

How do you know who a compatible, enlightened, spiritual mentor for you is? Your spirit will tell you. Let your inner wisdom guide you. Learn to listen to that soft voice inside you. In time, the voice will grow stronger and clearer.

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Something to meditate on today. Find a place in nature where you can have some privacy to do some spiritual work. Any natural setting will do—the beach, woods, City Park, a stream, or even your backyard. Once you have found a quiet place free from interruptions, stand up tall and extend your right arm with your index and ring fingers pointed out like a dagger.

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Calling upon your creative intelligence, imagine a blue beam of light shooting from your two fingers pointed toward the ground. Turning clockwise, draw an imaginary circle around you with this blue laser beam. Within this protected circle, sit down and let your mind have a conversation with the source of all life. You will be surprised how this experience broadens your mind. (When you finish, don’t forget to take down the circle by turning in a counterclockwise motion before leaving the space.)

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